The Con

by Justine Elvira

  "Okay. What do you need me to get?"

  "We need some clean clothes, food, and toiletries."

  I look down at my naked body covered only by a thin sheet and remember why I'm wearing nothing. My only pair of underwear is dirty from yesterday and my only outfit is now a wrinkled mess on the floor. I'm sure the designers didn't intend on someone like me wearing their expensive clothing.

  "Okay," I say, standing up from the bed and wrapping the sheet around my svelte body as I walk towards the bathroom to the pile of clothing on the floor beside the door. Jagger's clothes are on top of mine so I move them off to the side and then grab my trousers, blouse and bra, but I leave my underwear. I rather go commando than wear underwear that I've already worn.

  "Why are you covering up with the sheet? I've already seen every inch of you."

  I glance over at him, expecting him to be sitting on the bed but he's moved closer to me, his body inches from mine. His hands are on the sheet, loosening the way I've knotted it shut on my body. The sheet drops to the ground, leaving me completely vulnerable and exposed to him.

  "Your body is beautiful, twinkle toes. After what we shared last night you shouldn't have to hide it from me." He digs his fingers into my hips and then loosens his grip as his fingertips glide up the sides of my body, teasing the curves of my breasts before gliding back down. Then his lips are on mine, giving me a blistering hot kiss that would melt my insides if he didn't end it so abruptly. "Get dressed, twinkle toes."

  He maneuvers himself around me, grabbing his discarded clothes from the floor and dressing silently as I stare down at him in wonder and amazement. I know I'm taking the feminist movement back twenty years because this man has me melting at his touch and obedient to his every word. I can't think for myself when I'm around him and I'm not sure I want to.

  Once he's dressed and his perfect physique is no longer a distraction, I dress silently, slipping the trousers on over my naked flesh. After I've clasped and adjusted my bra into place, I put on the pale violet blouse and look at myself in the vanity mirror. My hair is down, wavy and untamed but surprisingly it looks sexy. I have no make-up on but my cheeks are naturally rosy just from being in Jagger's presence. I look good from the neck up. From the neck down is another story. My clothes are unmanageably wrinkled and this motel doesn't have an iron or ironing board to make my clothes look presentable.

  I'll have to go like this.

  I stand next to Jagger as he hovers over the bed, riffling through the duffle bag and grabbing out a wrapped bundle of hundreds. "You're going to take the car, twinkle toes. Find a mall, a department store, or even a Walmart and go in and find us some clean clothes. Keep the clothing plain and basic, nothing that could draw attention to us. I also need boots and get yourself shoes you can move around in, boots are good but I'm guessing with that bad ankle of yours you'll want a pair of gym shoes."

  He's right about that. My ankle is sore and tender today from wearing those fancy heels yesterday. "Okay, I'll need to know your sizes when I'm picking everything out."

  He pulls the top sheet of paper off the notepad on the nightstand by the phone. It already has his sizing information on it along with a few words asking me to get him a razor. He must have written it down while I was getting dressed.

  "Here's everything you'll need." He slips me the small sheet of paper along with six hundred dollar bills. "This should be enough to cover everything. Get some drinks and dry goods. Nothing that is easily perishable. Oh, and some apples. I need a couple apples for the next few days."

  "Why apples?"

  "It's my breakfast of choice. It's easy, quick, and although I'm not a believer of old wives tales, an apple a day has kept the doctor away from me, so I believe in that one."

  I slip the money and paper into the front pocket of my trousers and then Jagger hands me the keys to the Sedan along with a spare key to the motel room. His hand holds mine for a second longer than it needs to before he releases me. "I'm going to hide the duffle bag under the bed. It's the safest place we've got. I should be here when you get back, but if I'm not, lock the door behind you and don't open it for anyone, twinkle toes. Not even an employee of the motel."

  "Okay," I agree, giving him a look of understanding before I get up on my tiptoes and kiss him softly on the cheek. It’s the first kiss I've ever initiated between the two of us, and it's an innocent kiss at that, as I ignore the sexual chemistry that's undeniably between us. If I embrace it I'll never leave this room.

  I'm proud of how bold I've become with him. Five years ago, hell, two weeks ago I would have never approached him for a kiss.

  "Be careful, twinkle toes. Beware of your surroundings. We should be safe here, but you can never be too sure."

  "I'll be careful."

  Turning to leave, I make it all the way to the motel room door and get it open before Jagger stops me with his low, husky voice. "You need shoes, babe."

  I turn to look at him, crossing my arms over my chest in defiance. "I am not wearing those heels. I nearly broke my ankle again having to run in them yesterday and now I'm in a lot of pain."

  "The store is not going to let you in without shoes."

  "I'm a paying customer in designer threads, they'll let me in."

  I turn my back to him and walk out, leaving before he forces me to put the heels on, and then I'm in the car and off to find us some clean clothes.

  It'll be nice to wear a clean pair of panties again.

  ***

  Shopping took a lot longer than I thought it would and I'm ready to show Jagger what I bought.

  There aren't many places to choose from in this small town and I ended up stopping a few towns over at a large Target Superstore. There wasn't a huge selection of clothing to choose from, but I wore hand me downs most of my life so Target's clothing is designer in my book.

  I grabbed a package of Hanes' boxer briefs for Jagger, along with three pairs of jeans, some basic white undershirts, and two black t-shirts. I grabbed a pair of generic socks and threw them in my shopping cart before moving to the ladies department. I got myself two pairs of jeans, a pair of denim shorts, a black tank, and two basic t-shirts–one gray and one blue. I grabbed generic white socks for myself as well, but when I entered the lingerie area I picked the prettiest and sexiest choices they had.

  Today may be my last day with Jagger or we may have a few days. Neither of us is sure what happens next and I want to be prepared just in case I'm with Jagger for a while. I want him to look at me and think I'm irresistible.

  I want to feel him inside me again.

  When I moved over to the shoe department I was able to find him a pair of dark brown boots easily. I threw the first pair of gym shoes I could find for myself in the cart before I moved to the food section of the store.

  I grabbed water and Coke, cereal bars, chips and I got a bag of apples for Jagger. To get to the checkout I had to walk past the clothing section again and when I passed the women's section I spotted a stylish leather jacket. Actually, I don’t think it's real leather, but it looked good and I immediately found my size and threw it in the cart. Then I moved to the men's section, hoping they had something similar for Jagger.

  Luck was on my side because they had leather bomber jackets for men and I was able to find Jagger's size. It's a little cooler in Colorado, but not cold enough to wear jackets in this summer heat, but I couldn't resist the temptation. The minute I saw the woman's jacket all I could hear in my head was the beat of Bonnie and Clyde by Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé. In that moment I felt like Jagger and I could be Bonnie and Clyde. We were two outlaws on the run from the law, and from a criminal organization that most likely wanted the both of us dead.

  I know I was glamourizing and romanticizing the situation, but it was hard not to when I knew Jagger would protect me and take care of me. He was better than every book boyfriend I'd read about and male lead I'd watched.

  Once I checked out at Target I headed back to the motel, excited to show Jagger what
I had bought. Maybe the jackets weren't the best use of our money, but we did have two million dollars at our disposal so I didn't feel too bad spending almost every dollar of the six hundred dollars Jagger gave me.

  When I enter the motel room I'm smiling from ear to ear because I'll be able to wear clean clothes and underwear, but I'm not expecting to see a pissed off Jagger pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed.

  "Where the hell have you been?" he shouts when I walk through the door. I place the few bags in my hands on the floor and take a step forward. There is one more bag in the car but I don't dare to get it now. I'm too afraid to move at this moment. Something must be wrong for Jagger to be so mad at me.

  "I was getting what you asked me to. There wasn’t anywhere to shop in town but I found a Target a few towns over."

  He drags a hand through his disheveled hair and then moves over to the dresser, opening his pack of smokes and grabbing one out of the package before lighting up and taking a drag.

  "I thought you knew to be quick, twinkle toes. I’ve been worried sick about you."

  I walk over to him, peering up at him under my long eyelashes and silently asking him for permission to come closer. He sighs before opening up his arms and I wrap my arms around him, holding him for a long time. His free hand falls on my back between my shoulder blades, and he slowly caresses me as he continues to take drags of his cigarette.

  My cheek is pressed to the crevice between his shoulder and neck and I mumble an apology. "I’m sorry, Jagger. I lost track of time. I didn't think about how you could be worried. It won't happen again. I promise."

  His lips come down to kiss the top of my head and then he lets me go and I walk over to the door and back outside to grab the last bag from the car. Once I'm back inside the motel room I start to unload my purchases out on the bed.

  "I got everything I thought we might need. I wasn’t sure how many days worth of clothes I should get, so I got three days worth and I figured if we need longer we can wash them or purchase some more."

  He finishes his cigarette and then walks over to the bed to riffle through the items. When his hands grip one of the leather jackets he looks over at me curiously. "Are we expecting a cold front in the next few days?"

  "It was an impulse buy."

  He shakes his head and chuckles under his breath before grabbing the package of boxer briefs and opening it. He pulls out a pair along with a pair of jeans and a white shirt and then he begins to strip in front of me. He's not embarrassed in the least about getting naked in front of me and changing into clean clothes. Then again, why would he be embarrassed? His body is perfection.

  I decide to take a page out of his book and I strip down to almost nothing before slipping on a pair of pink lacy underwear. I leave on the same bra I had on before and then I slip on the jean shorts and blue t-shirt. I leave the socks, waiting to see where we're going before putting them on.

  Looking around the room I spot a black flip phone on the dresser near Jagger's pack of smokes. He must have been successful finding a burner phone at the gas station.

  Before I have a chance to ask him about it the phone rings and Jagger picks it up immediately. He mumbles a few things, and then listens for a moment before hanging up. The conversation lasted all of twenty seconds but Jagger is more pissed off then when I walked into the motel room fifteen minutes ago.

  "Who was that?" I ask, moving away from the bed and towards the remaining bag on the floor that's near the door. It has all of our food in it. I'm starving and hoping an apple or a cereal bar will satisfy the hunger.

  I don't get a chance to eat anything though because I'm shoved against the door, my back hitting it with a thud and then Jagger is on me. His lips are kissing ferociously at my neck as his hand slips between us, unbuttoning my shorts. He slides them off effortlessly as his mouth continues to assault my skin.

  I don't stop him. I can't. His mouth on me matched with his almost violent touch has every nerve ending in my body ready to combust.

  Once I'm naked from the waist down Jagger's hands wrap around my body and grab my ass, his fingers digging into my flesh as he lifts me up and my legs wrap around his waist. I drag one arm around his neck for support as my free hand slips between us and I unbutton his jeans. I slide my hand between his skin and boxer briefs until I'm holding his firm cock and freeing it from the restriction of his clothing. He lifts me up further and then I feel his shaft tease my entrance before I help us both out, sinking down on him as he fills me completely.

  His mouth curves into a smile as he thrusts forward, pushing me harder and harder against the door. His hand’s punishing my ass with hard squeezes as his fingertips tease up and down my parted ass cheeks.

  His thrusts are urgent and needy, and I feel a bite of pain with each push, but I'm clutching on to his shoulders, anticipating the release he's going to bring me. I'm in a constant state of arousal around him and as he thoroughly lets out his anger on my body, I take it willingly. I want him to lash it all out on me and I want him to see I can handle it. That it turns me on.

  He grips my ass harder, squeezing the flesh beneath his fingertips and I know he's leaving marks, but I don't have time to care. A finger caresses my puckered hole before he slips the digit inside. He's filling me at both ends as his lips move to my ear and he grunts out his release. I come, too, screaming his name as I go to my happy place.

  He pulls out of me and then gently sets me down on the ground. He's being a complete gentleman compared to what I experienced just moments ago. I slip my clothes back on, ignoring the small amounts of cum that escape from inside me.

  "Are you okay?" I ask as I fasten the button on my shorts. He zips up his jeans before responding.

  "Yeah, twinkle toes."

  "Who was that on the phone?"

  "Ky. He says everyone is looking for us."

  "Oh." I figured there would be some kind of search party out for us, but I wish I knew just who was included in "everyone". Is it just the Esposito organization, or are the police involved, too? Is my sister wondering where I am? Is my sister safe?

  Jagger grabs my hand and moves us over to the foot of the bed. He sits down and I join him, twisting my body into his. "There's more, twinkle toes. I called Angelo while you were out getting supplies."

  "What did he say?"

  "I'm so sorry I dragged you into all of this. If I had known–"

  "What did he say, Jagger?"

  "It was all a set-up. I was never meant to walk out of there with the money. I was never meant to walk out of there alive."

  My lips tremble at the implication of his words. "What do you mean?"

  He places his palms on top of his thighs before rubbing them up and down his legs. He looks over at the bag of money and then over to me.

  "I told you how Angelo and I had a falling out about a year ago. He had already started doing some work for Damien on the down low and Damien is someone I've never worked with. I've never really gotten along with him, but I'd come across him from time to time and we were always cordial. As long as he didn’t get in my way and I didn’t get in his, we were cool.

  "Well, I got a job handed to me one night boosting cars. I normally don't take jobs from third parties but this one was impossible to turn down. It was dangerous, but I took it because it was sixty G's for about twelve hours of work.

  "The job was easy and I completed it with no problems, but I found out the next morning that Angelo was supposed to be the one on that job. That they had hired him first, but for reasons I don't know, they backed out with him last minute and asked me. They didn't tell him until he showed up at the warehouse that night, an hour after I had already left to start the job.

  "Angelo had been counting on that money. He had already spent it knowing that it was coming in. That was his first mistake. You should never spend money you don't have.

  "The morning after the job I was eating in the kitchen of my trailer when Angelo came in. He was ranting and raving about how I stole a job
out from under him and friends don’t do that to each other. He was in deep trouble if he didn’t come up with some cash quick and he asked me if he could borrow thirty grand."

  I clasp my hands in my lap. "What did you do?"

  "I told him no. I had already put half the money I earned in a college fund for Mason and I needed the rest of the money for bills and for my sister. I gave him two grand and wished him luck finding the rest. He took the money and then stormed out of my trailer. He never talked to me again, that is until this job came along."

  Jagger stands up abruptly and starts pacing back and forth.

  "I should have known it was a set-up, but I let the money call the shots. I let the money push all common sense to the side. I was blinded with greed. Angelo and I were friends. We were close. No matter what happened between us I never thought he'd do this to me. I never thought he would want me dead.

  "Angelo and Damien set me up with the Esposito organization. They put this entire thing in motion and then narked on me with Matteo. Damien hand delivered Matteo to the bank yesterday and they were ready to take me out. Damien and Angelo look at me as their biggest competition and they were ready to wipe me out. I'm scared to think what could have happened if I hadn’t brought that gun and held up Cheyenne at gunpoint.

  "Now the Esposito organization is looking for us and Angelo and Damien are helping them. I don’t know who to trust, twinkle toes. The only person I know who is trustworthy besides you is Ky, and right now he told me to stay hidden. He doesn’t even want to know where we are. He's afraid if I tell him, Angelo or Matteo will be able to get it out of him."

  I stand up from the foot of the bed and walk over to a frantic Jagger, wrapping my arms around him in a comforting hug. I hold him for a long time as his breathing settles and he rests part of his weight against me. Words fail me so I'm comforting him the best way I know how.

  After what feels like an eternity, Jagger pulls away from me and grabs another cigarette. He lights up and smokes in silence. I can see the confusion and loss in his expression. Someone he considered a friend betrayed him because of money. This is probably the first time in a long time that Jagger doesn’t know what to do. He’s scared for himself and for me, and I’m scared, too. I'm scared that they're going to find him and hurt him.